Does Bonsai go Against Taoism?

[DaoChild]

Someone recently mentioned how Bonsai originated several thousand years ago, as both a Buddhist and Taoist concept. I'm not so sure if that's true (It was what they 'told' me).

 

Don't bonsai seem to be a little "anti- uncarved block" ? It's direct manipulation - you cut the roots to keep it dwarfed, you cut the buds off to keep its growth stunted, and although it's beautiful and amazing - it's completely counter intuitive and un-'natural'.

 

Can anyone expound upon this a bit further?

 

Thank you

Edited March 21, 2009 by DaoChild

[thelerner]

Let's see, I think I have the answer in a book. Here it is, its called 'The Tao that Can be Named'.

On page 469, chapter 31, subchapter 7, article 4, rule 3 it states :No Bonsai.

 

 

[Taiji Bum]

A bunch of years back I was told that you can't bonsai an oak tree because of the tap root it has. So for 10 years now I have been trying to do it. My next idea is to run the root in a twisty pipe to keep the pot shallow....... OH this topic is "if bonsai is against the Tao or not".....

 

What if the tree WANTS to be a Bansai?

[Mal]

hehe

 

Well if you kill the poor tree (as I have on many bonsai attempts) it's probably not a really "Natural Way"

 

Alternatively I'm sure many old Bonsai appreciate all the love and attention that has given them longevity well beyond their brethren.

[YMWong]

Someone recently mentioned how Bonsai originated several thousand years ago, as both a Buddhist and Taoist concept.

 

[...]

 

Can anyone expound upon this a bit further?

 

Bonsai in a way encarnates some of the actual features of Chinese Daoism.

I suggest reading the excellent (old but good) monography of the late Rolf Stein

 

The world in miniature: container gardens and dwellings in Far Eastern religious thought

By Rolf Alfred Stein

Translated by Phyllis Brooks

Stanford University Press, 1990

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=EPEN13WLJ...ary_r&cad=0

 

YM

[destri]

 

Can anyone expound upon this a bit further?

 

 

 

I'm going to give my opinion, but I am not a Buddhist or Taoist Master, therefore this is just a simple opinion (I am a student of Zen Buddhism with little experience).

 

Your question seems deeper than it looks at first glance. It is not just about bonsai actually. I will try to develop an example that could put some light into the question.

 

Let's say you are walking in the woods, and then you hear a cry from a little girl. You go to investigate it, and you see that the girl fell into a big hole in the ground, a hunter's trap. The girl cries for help. What do you do? You most certainly wouldn't tell her: "I can't help you, helping you is not natural, this is anti-uncarved block. Your destiny is to stay in this hole."

 

Ok, this example is very extreme, but it shows that still-action is actually action. Still-action has its consequences. What is the natural thing to do in each case? It looks obvious that helping the girl is the natural thing to do in my example.

 

What about the bonsai? To keep it healthy, you need to cut its roots, you need to cut the buds off ocasionally. If you don't do these, the bonsai will overgrow and may eventually die. The definition of bonsai is tree-in-the-tray, and for a tree to stay healthy in a tray/pot, it needs these especial technics to be applied. Applying them is the natural thing to do.

 

But you may say, why should a tree be dwarfed in a pot in the first place? To which I respond, why should a tree NOT be dwarfed in pot? Who says so? Why should all trees grow to their full size outdoors? Who says so? Is a small tree less special than a big tree? Is an indoor tree less special than an outdoor tree? Who decides what is natural and what is not natural?

 

Bonsai is useful. It is a patience exercice. Its gardening may be a contemplation exercice. It is beautiful. It is an artwork, and a live artwork, which responds naturally and freely to the artist's input. It's an artwork that instantly can be recognized to belong not only to the artist, but to nature as a whole.

 

Also, uncarved block is much more about mind than anything outside the mind. Therefore, a person can cultivate a bonsai with an uncarved block mind, but also with an un-natural mind, an articial mind, a mind that is arbitrary. The bonsai may not grow as you expected, and you become angry. That is un-natural.

 

Finally, you can go to a friend's house, see a bonsai there and think "that's un-natural". But this thinking, "un-natural", is only in your mind. Nature is already there.

 

I hope this can answer you at least a little bit.

[thelerner]

A master sat stroking the cat at his side. A disciple came in and got the nerve to ask him "Master why do you have a cat?"

 

The master continued petting the cat and considered. Finally he said, "We have the cat because we cannot keep the tiger."

 

 

If I could have a tree growing through the center of my house, it would be fantastic. Because trees are magical, they're strong, they're our elders. We keep the bonsai, because we don't have room for the tree.

 

Michael

[eighty4proof]

Practicing bonsai teaches you the subtle and major workings of plants; intricacies that most people never realize, even some avid gardeners. It is a hobby that truly aligns you with nature and its Way.

 

"A bunch of years back I was told that you can't bonsai an oak tree because of the tap root it has. So for 10 years now I have been trying to do it. My next idea is to run the root in a twisty pipe to keep the pot shallow......."

 

If you cut the tap root as a seedling you'll have no problem. The alternative (when collecting) is to slowly work on cutting back the roots over a few years, a little at a time until you have sufficient fibrous roots that the taproot is no-longer needed. Here's an example of an oak bonsai http://walter-pall.de/oaksmaidenhair_oak_n....dir/index.html and you can find more at walter-pall.de Or if you want to purchase a seedling try http://evergreengardenworks.com/quercus.htm as they sell primarily for bonsai cultivation. Don't give up on them yet!